Is it safe to dry fire weapon?

[Gumbo]

I'm reading a lot about dry firing your weapon for practice. Is this hard on the firing pin as you always hear? Should one use snap caps? What's the real story here?

 

[Aldon]

It is a good idea to use snap caps or make one.

It can be hard on some firing pins.

So for your generic question, the generic answer is yes, use snap cap.

 

[cahunter805]

Justan idea for a cheap snap cap. Deprime a spent case and replace the primer with a pencil eraser. Helps to cushion firing pin and is a cheap quick fix. I think dry firing can really help learn trigger control and how your trigger breaks. Good luck.

 

[FEENIX]

It is a good idea to use snap caps or make one.

It can be hard on some firing pins.

So for your generic question, the generic answer is yes, use snap cap.

+1. They are a $10 a pair good investment.

 

[Gumbo]

+1. There a $10 a pair good investment.

I picked up a pair for exactly that amount Fri at Cabela's on the way home from work. Thanks.

 

[shorty]

+1 on dry firing for centerfire cartridges. However, the same isn't true for rimfires, unless you were to use a sent case to protect firing pin,I guess.

 

[Chas1]

+1 w/cahunter805, pencil eraser works great.

 

[FEENIX]

I picked up a pair for exactly that amount Fri at Cabela's on the way home from work. Thanks.

Cool! I'm glad it worked out for you. Good luck!

Ed

 

[HUAINAMACHERO]

Will try the pencil eraser, sounds cheap and functional.

 

[bigngreen]

I like the pencil eraser idea!! The snap caps just don't cycle through my rifle right and I like to load the magazine and dry fire then practice on working the bolt correctly at the same time.

 

[TheHardWay]

I have always wondering this as well. I was told once by a guy at a gun store that dry firing a modern gun isn't as much of an issue as it was back in the day. I am still a little skeptical of this. I think repeated dry firing isn't a very good idea, but every once in a while I don't think it would hurt.

The pencil eraser thing is a great idea. I think I will do that just to play it safe. It is going to be hard to find a pencil with an eraser on it around here if I make a snap cap for all of my guns!!!

 

[boomtube]

Dry firing was hard on black powder guns and, maybe especially, for the original Colt cartridge revolvers which had the firing pin as a fixed part of the hammer. The 1903 Springfield had a poor design that allowed the pin to jam into the end of the bolt and was also bad. In fact, any hammer or pin design that allows hard pin contact with the frame is bad business. BUT, most, if not all, more modern designs block the pin in ways that prevent such pin impact so it is rarely a real problem. I don't hesitate to dry fire a S&W or modern Colt with a floating firing pin, a Rem 700 or Win 70.

No doubt a rubber erasure "primer" will absorb a little of the pin impact but that really isn't hard enough to make much difference.

 

[Gumbo]

If you read any of the shooting "how to" articles on this site, these experts are recommending 30+ dry fires a day. Do the math on how many dry fires that is per week, month, year. So we're talking more than a few dry fires--and definitely more than your standard pencil eraser will take. They're recommending this to develop muscle memory for trigger pulls, bolt manipulation, sight picture, etc.

 

[HUAINAMACHERO]

Chas1: +1 w/cahunter805, pencil eraser works great.

I think the pencil eraser would work just fine, but dont have the experience with it. Chas1 have your tried it for long periods of time and repetitive use?
That would solve Gumbo question.